Happy Saint Patrick's Day by Vicky Spelman

Photo: Pixabay

You don't need to be Irish to wear green on St. Patrick's Day!

In Ireland, shamrocks are considered lucky and are worn and given as gifts on St. Patrick’s Day.  However, there is some disagreement as to the exact plant, but most growers will tell you that Trifolium repens, white clover, is the plant most commonly known as a shamrock.  What we consider to be a common lawn weed, is a native of Ireland. This plant has naturalized throughout North America in lawns, fields and roadsides. The flowers are attractive to bees and white clover is a nitrogen fixing plant which is used in crop rotation. Also a good forage plant for livestock.

In Colorado, this Irish shamrock grows in our lawns, in prairies, pastures and foothills.  If you enjoy clover honey, you can thank this lovely little plant.

Image: Clipart

Shamrocks are a member of the Oxalis (wood sorrel) family - which contains more than 300 species. Most of these grow from small bulbs although some have tuberous roots. Their distinguishing characteristic is the three rounded or triangular-shaped leaves at the end of delicate stems. Most oxalis plants fold up their leaves at night, hugging them tight to the stems until daylight "wakes them up" again.

Additional information:  University of Vermont and Missouri Botanical Garden